Exploring the Kruger National Park at night

We all know and love the Kruger National Park. Long drives from sunrise to sunset, searching for the animals that inhabit this wonderful place, from elusive Leopards to the ever-present Impala. Each day in the park is pretty much the same, sure you see different animals and might drive on different roads, but the idea is the same. We wake up in the morning, go on our drive, have lunch and get back at it again in the afternoon. But have you ever considered switching this daily routine around, instead of searching for animals during the day, what if you searched around the camp at night? What creatures might you encounter? Well, that’s exactly what I did on my recent trip to the Kruger.

The first day upon entering the park I went about the same way we all usually do. Although when the sun set, I did not sit around the campfire and get ready for bed, instead I charged my torch and adopted a whole different mindset. I put my hiking shoes on, and headed out to the rest of the camp. This was quite familiar for me though because I am a passionate Herper, for those unfamiliar with this term, a Herper is a person who goes to extreme lengths to find reptiles and amphibians, which often includes long nights in the field. Herpers usually catch the reptile or amphibian, keep them safely for a short amount of time, photograph them, and releases them right back where they were found.

So, I headed right in the direction of the bathrooms, not exactly for the same reason your average person would go though. You see bathrooms are an exceptionally good place for all kinds of animals, the thatch roofs supply plenty of hiding places and the lights around them attract heaps of insects, which attract geckos, and the geckos then attract larger predators and so on. Unfortunately, I had little luck because it was winter and most nocturnal animals favour the summer, that’s why it’s extremely unlikely to find reptiles at night during the dry winter months. Despite this I was not going to give up, and I found a ginormous stick insect right in the path leading out of the bathroom. I was quite glad I found this guy because someone else probably would have ended up stepping on the poor guy. Other creatures I also stumbled across included a group of sleeping Swifts and a Red- winged Starling sleeping on a lamp; it was so close, I could probably have touched it, but I decided not to and leave him to rest.

From the bathroom I continued with my search and went to the pool area where I hoped to encounter some frogs. The pool area of Pretoriuskop is built upon a large rock span that might also be home to some interesting reptiles. As I neared the pool, I spotted an African Wood Owl Flying above me. The pool area seemed very sketchy at night and having heard Lions roaring a few minutes earlier only made it scarier! I reassured myself that there are fences and the Lions are probably very far. So I opened the gate with a loud squeak and entered. I was right, and saw a Turners gecko disappear into a rock crevice but when I tried to get my hands on him, he had already gone deep underneath a boulder. Later that night, I found a foam nest frog chilling on a wooden beam, and a Painted Reed Frog under a chair. Suddenly I heard a lot of movement in the nearby bushes, since I was satisfied with my finds, I got out of there in no time!

Next, I headed to the Wimpy to see what other animals roam the night around here. A Pearl-spotted Owlet made its presence clear with its shrieking call, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Frustrated with myself I circled back to our camp to give the bathrooms one more try. On the way back I spotted a Fruit Bat in the tree, and I must say I was blown away by its size; they really give you a fright when they suddenly fly over.  Back at the bathroom I saw something bright red that caught my eye, and of course it was in the drain! I pinched my nose and took a closer look. A poor Banded Rubber Frog has found himself stuck in this smelly mess. I felt so bad for it and knew I had to help the poor dude. I spent some time searching for a long stick and unfortunately there where no long sticks that would fit. So, I took the longest one and put my arm with the stick down in the drain. Without hesitation the Rubber Frog climbed onto the stick and held on for dear life! I can’t imagine how bad all those domestic chemicals must have burnt its poor skin.

When I returned to our tent, I took all the frogs I found and photographed them before returning them all exactly where I found them, all except the Rubber Frog obviously. I put him quite some distance from the drain he fell into.

This really shows you how much Kruger truly has to offer. Next time you go visit Kruger you might just want to have a look around at night, you might just be surprised by what you find!